1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to air pollution control devices and more particularly relates to a multi-section air pollution controller which circulates an influent gaseous waste stream to be treated into a rotational circular path, removing heavier particles from a first component of the gaseous stream by centrifugal force, and wherein a central vortex tube withdraws a second component portion of the gaseous stream from the housing, the first portion of the gaseous stream being bubbled through a chemically reactive bath for treatment, and the second component passing through a charged field that repels undesirable gaseous pollutants.
2. General Background
It is well known that many undesirable particles are contained within polluted air such as smoke. These particles have adverse effects upon the environment if they are allowed to escape into the atmosphere untreated. For example, many gaseous particles such as sulphur dioxide are produced and are a part of smoke produced by the combustion of fuels with a sulphur content. Such sulphur dioxide, for example, is a common component of smoke prouced by the combustion of lignite coal and other coals with similar sulphur content. Because the smoke produced by the combustion of such coals produces particles of different sizes and physical conditions including solid, large and heavier particles as well as smaller particles, a significant removal problem is presented. For example, smoke produced by the combustion of coal can produce large solid heavier particles such as carbons, ashes, powders and the like. Various smaller and lightweight particles such as sulphur dioxide are also produced.
Various types of equipment have attempted to solve the problem of cleaning a polluted stream of gaseous material. For example, one type of equipment is referred to as "scrubbers." A scrubber is, for example, an apparatus which washes the smoke as it is released from the stack of a power plant, factory or the like. The scrubbing acts upon the size, weight, and physical characteristics of the particles which are a product of combustion. These scrubbers create a used water by-product which becomes polluted and a settled sludge that requires further secondary equipment for additional treatments in order to restore the water to its natural properties and natural cleanliness. Thus, solving the initial problem of cleaning the polluted air stream creates a second problem as severe as the first problem in many cases, namely the polluted water.
Various types of "dry" devices are used to clean polluted streams of gas or air. These devices include cyclone separators which generally rotate the gaseous material in a circular path so that heavier particles gravitate to the outside of the separator and a lighter portion of the gaseous stream remains at the vortex of the separator and can be separated there from the heavier particles. However, the lighter gaseous particles are generally not affected by the cyclone effect.
One cyclonic separator can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,773,840 issued to Nattcher on Aug. 26, 1930. This device includes an upper round opening used to release air after a cleaning process and a lower cone which collects particles which have fallen by their own weight and slid down the cylindrical walls of the separator. Such an apparatus is only effective on very large solid particles because the gaseous particles are generally not affected by the cyclonic forces, thus gaseous pollution would be released from the apparatus to the atmosphere untreated. This type of device is referred to generally as a "dry" type apparatus for cleaning air pollution.
Another "dry" type apparatus is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,494 issued to E. L. Lustenader. The device is basically a vortex, electrostatic separator allegedly used to remove particles of small mass or size as well as large mass or size. The device collects larger particles in a collector which is round and connected with the opening of the tubular main part of the apparatus. The device would not be effective for the disposal of gaseous pollution such as sulphur dioxide.
A wet cyclone type apparatus for treating gaseous pollution can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,026 issued to Mitsugi Miura on Sept. 8, 1970. That device includes a cyclone provided with a sprayer in a gas discharge pipe and includes a hopper spaced from the wall of the cyclone filled with liquid, the gas discharge pipe extending into the liquid. The device relates to an apparatus for separating allegedly fine particles in a gaseous substance. The present invention differs from this device in that the present invention does not require water sprays which by definition create a secondary pollution in the form of water pollution. This is different from the Miura device which uses a combination of cyclonic separation and liquid scrubbing.
Another cyclone type patent can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,026. In that device, the cyclone is limited to large particles and also to small streams and flows.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,851 issued to L. C. Hardison on Dec. 15, 1977 shows a scrubber type treatment device. The apparatus includes a duct, a valve, and a sprayer working against the flow of saturated smoke. The device uses a two-stage process, a first stage of spraying and a second of centrifugal mixing. The apparatus appears to link the scrubbing effect, i.e., the spraying of liquid against the flow of smoke with centrifugal force to make the particles react with the liquid by surface contact thus generating a circular movement in the liquid. This device suffers in that it produces a contaminated liquid and a contaminated sludge and thus the need for another process and equipment to treat the liquid and/or sludge to dispose of it. This apparatus differs from the present invention in that no scrubbing is used as part of the apparatus.
Another scrubber can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,164 issued to J. Mercer on Mar. 23, 1971. This device is a scrubber which basically sprays water against a flow of smoke.
Another typical scrubber is seenin the Tretter U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,505. The Tretter patent uses water spraying against the smoke in combination with a cyclonic effect to separate condensed particles by weight, the particles falling afterwards and sliding by the inside walls of the cyclone.
It is to these problems that the present invention is directed.